Reviews tagging 'Drug use'

Unbound: My Story of Liberation and the Birth of the Me Too Movement by Tarana Burke

6 reviews

jspells's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad fast-paced

5.0

TRIGGER WARNING: This book does contain details of sexual assault and domestic violence.

Tarana Burke takes her life experiences and beautifully communicates them in a way that is not sugarcoated or timid. The bravery it takes for someone to recount not just one sexual assault experience but several is a bravery and burden that not many are equipped with or even have the desire for. Tarana’s experience is both exclusive and not. Unfortunately many young black girls and black women have had far too similar experiences to Tarana’s.

Tarana also speaks to the ground work she was doing in the black community prior to the #MeToo movement that blew up online. From the way she communicates it feels to me that she is a black activist first and for obvious reasons that could rub some people the wrong way.

Burke gives the reader a clear vision through her words of what shame and fear can be carried for survivors and all of the ways it could show up.

This book is hard and messy, but incredibly powerful. If you can handle the triggers or are able to skip over them I highly encourage you to read it. With her very New York attitude Burke reminded me as a mixed woman that I can’t give up fighting for young black girls and the goal should always be to empower them.

One of my favorite quotes in this book was: “If unkindness is indeed a serial killer, then my revelation is that I was my own murderer. I had taught myself to bend to my own unkindness first, so that I would be able to withstand the unkindness of others. I will not bend anymore.”

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, and Rape

Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Racial slurs, Drug use, and Transphobia

mklein319's review against another edition

emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Child abuse, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Rape

Moderate: Gun violence, Classism, Drug use, and Emotional abuse

stephmcoakley's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Domestic abuse, Pedophilia, Toxic friendship, Rape, Sexual assault, Gaslighting, Murder, Racism, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Incest, Racial slurs, Drug use, Gun violence, and Emotional abuse

mscalls's review against another edition

dark emotional informative reflective tense fast-paced

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Death of parent, Drug use, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Death, Grief, Pregnancy, and Sexual harassment

blovessummer's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

Wow. Tarana Burke is an amazing human being and this book is important, heartfelt and inspiring. Not an easy read due to the topic but extremely well written and powerful and important. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Child abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Grief, Gun violence, Hate crime, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexism, Sexual violence, Sexual content, and Violence

toofondofbooks_'s review

dark emotional informative inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

5.0

Wow. Just WOW. This memoir by Tarana Burke, who is the founder of the #MeToo movement, has written a memoir that belongs on your shelf next to the works of Maya Angelou. This memoir reminded me of "I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings" in its raw honesty and fantastic writing. I listened to the audiobook, and Burke's narration is heartbreaking and a joy to listen to at the same time. Sections that I thought were particularly interesting were Burke's stories about her complicated and sometimes fraught relationship with her mother and the section where she describes her discovery of the work of Maya Angelou and how she fell in love with it and saw herself in it. I love that Tarana Burke never pretends to have been a perfect person and is committed to writing a real memoir with her highs, lows, wins and losses with honesty. If you have ever been interested in this woman and / or how the Me Too movement came to be, you should pick this up

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Racism, Misogyny, Drug abuse, Drug use, Alcohol, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Domestic abuse, and Pedophilia

Moderate: Medical content and Incest

Minor: Child death, Miscarriage, Gaslighting, and Pregnancy